The United States Conference
of Catholic Bishops has released the text of a
letter sent to President Barack Obama voicing opposition to the president’s
proposed military action in Syria. President Obama, who is in St. Petersburg,
Russia for the G20 summit this week, has asked Congress to authorize an
intervention in Syria in response to what the administration believes were
chemical attacks against Syrian civilians by the government of President Bashar
al-Assad.

The letter, signed by USCCB
president Cardinal Timothy Dolan and chair of the Committee on International
Justice and Peace Bishop Richard E. Pates, expresses “absolute condemnation of
the use of chemical weapons.” It goes on to state that the bishops’ focus is “on
saving lives by ending the conflict, not fueling it.”

We have heard the urgent calls of the Successor of Saint
Peter, Pope Francis, and our suffering brother bishops of the venerable and
ancient Christian communities of the Middle East. As one, they beg the
international community not to resort to military intervention in Syria.
They have made it clear that a military attack will be counterproductive, will
exacerbate an already deadly situation, and will have unintended negative
consequences. Their concerns find a strong resonance in American public
opinion that questions the wisdom of intervention and in the lack of
international consensus.

We make our own the
appeal of Pope Francis: “I exhort the international community to make every
effort to promote clear proposals for peace in that country without further
delay, a peace based on dialogue and negotiation, for the good of the entire
Syrian people. May no effort be spared in guaranteeing humanitarian
assistance to those wounded by this terrible conflict, in particular those
forced to flee and the many refugees in nearby countries.”

The longstanding
position of our Conference of Bishops is that the Syrian people urgently need a
political solution. We ask the United States to work urgently and
tirelessly with other governments to obtain a ceasefire, initiate serious
negotiations, provide impartial humanitarian assistance, and encourage efforts
to build an inclusive society in Syria that protects the rights of all its
citizens, including Christians and other minorities.

Opposition to military
intervention was also the subject of an
interview given by the Superior General of the Society of Jesus, Father
Adolfo Nicolas. Father Nicolas did not mince words in expressing his opposition
to the Obama administration’s proposed action, calling it “a terrible mistake”
that threatens to “bring us back to barbarism.”

We have
right here three different problems that it is important to state clearly. The
first is that all abuse of power is to be condemned and rejected. And, with all
respect for the people of the United States, I think that a military
intervention like the one being planned is itself an abuse of power. The US has
to stop acting and reacting like the big boy of the neighborhood of the world.
This leads inevitably to abuse, harassment and bullying of the weaker members
of the community.

The second is that
if there has been use of chemical weapons we still have to probe in a way that
is clear to the whole world that one party in the conflict and not the other
has used them. It is not enough that some members of the punishing Government
make a statement of conviction. They have to convince the world, so that the
world can trust in them. This confidence does not happen today, and many have
already started speculation about the ulterior motives that the USA may have in
the projected intervention.

And the third, that
the means considered adequate to punish the abuse do not harm the very victims
of the original abuse, once it has been proved to exist. Past experience
teaches us that this is practically impossible (even if we call the victims
"collateral damage") and the results increase the suffering of the
ordinary innocent and poor people. We all know that the great concern of the
Wise Elders and Religious Founders of all traditions and cultures was "how
to reduce human suffering?" It is very worrying that in the name of
justice we plan an attack that will increase the suffering of the victims.

Both the USCCB’s statement
and Father Nicolas’ interview reference Pope Francis’ frequently expressed
opposition to military intervention in Syria. On Sunday during his Angelus
address, the Holy Father announced that this Saturday, September 7, will be a
special day of fasting and prayer for peace in Syria. Francis is scheduled to lead a five-hour prayer vigil for peace that evening in St. Peter's Square, an event Vatican spokesman Father Federico Lombardi said will be the largest of its kind in decades.

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